For The Love of SNAPE?
by UntangleMeNot
Summary: Under SERIOUS reconstruction and rewriting Will be an HP/SS, a rewrite of the year leading up to the war and the war itself. Possibly to disregard books 6 and 7, possibly not.


_**CH 1** __  
__ Birth of a Champion _

**"Why? Because I feel like it." a young boy sat at the table in the kitchen of number four Privet Drive. The Dursleys were all staring at him in various states of shock. Vernon Dursley, the boy's uncle, was as red as his best friend's flaming hair, and looked as though he were about to explode. Petunia, his aunt, was the exact opposite of her husband. She was pale white and looked as though she might feint at any moment. Dudley, his whale like cousin, sat looking on at the boy in awe with a mixture of shock, fear and amazement playing across his chubby face. The thing-or rather person-they were staring at had the appearance of some one who was finally beginning to grow into his body and adult form, though he was still a bit awkward. He had messy jet-black hair and emerald green eyes, with a peculiar scar shaped like a lightning bolt. Harry Potter stared uninterestedly out of the kitchen window, as if none of what was happening had anything to do with him. ******

**"W-What was that, boy?" Uncle Vernon asked, finally, in a quiet and deadly voice. ******

**"I said, I punched Dudley and refused to cook because I feel like it. You can't make me leave and this petty grudge you've got against me is annoying. There are more important things out there. Besides, if I die this nice normal life of yours dies with me." He shifted his position and looked back at the three livid faces in front of him "I've got more important matters to worry about now. Must be nice, to be ignorant." With that he got up and walked up to his room where he spent most of the next two days on his back, staring at the ceiling, wondering when his world would finally give up and cave in around him.**

"**Harry? I got some stuff at the store; Mom's forcing me to make peace with you and says I have to share…They think that you'll blow up and kill us all." Aunt Petunia had given up trying to keep Dudley on the diet, and now allowed him to do and eat what he wanted. Harry vaguely wondered what brought on this change in Dudley's characters as he made a non-committal grunt in the general direction of the door. He concluded that the world was finally deciding to give up its futile struggle to survive, and had started its downfall with changing Dudley into a pleasant person. He didn't bother to look as his cousin walked heavily into the room and sat down next to him on his bed, causing the springs to groan and the bed to creak ominously. The two boys sat in silence for what seemed like eternity, before Dudley finally spoke. " So there's something really bad going on in that world of freaks you belong to, and it's going to affect us some how? And YOU have to stop that from happening? This Vold—Voldemort fellow, if he knows you're here, why hasn't he come to kill you, and won't he eventually come any way?" when he didn't receive an answer he continued, "shouldn't you be doing SOMETHING?"**

"**I am. Dumbledore did something, a spell I guess. Apparently as long as I come here, he can't touch me. Not while I'm here any way." Harry answered uninterestedly, still staring at the ceiling. **

"**And you are the only one who can stop him?"**

"**yes, sure seems that way."**

"**well, shouldn't you be doing something?" Dudley tried again. **

"**and what would that be? I can't do magic outside of school. It's more complicated than that any way." He said starting to get a little irritated. Why did Dudley care what he did, any way? He sighed and sat up a little on the bed, causing it to groan loudly again. **

"**what do you mean 'complicated'? He's evil, your not. He's going to slaughter all of your freaky little friends, and you can stop him. How is that complicated, Potter? If you don't do something, you'll lose what few friends you actually have. Then you'll be lonely freak, at least now you have friends." He paused as if thinking carefully what to say next. "It's kind of selfish, you know, to only think of yourself like this. I understand that you lost that man, your godfather, but what about the people who are still close to you? You still care about them too, right? So what's the problem, you should be finding away to stop this 'dark lord'" Harry sat, staring, in awe at his cousin. He had never expected to hear anything so wise and profound from Dudley. To be chastised by, of all people, his fat, pig in a wig cousin. How low HAD he sunk, to be at such a level? "I heard an actor on one of my Saturday morning programs say this once, I guess it fits: A hero isn't born, he's made what he is by the ability to rise above his own pain and despair he faces, in order to help and protect those around him. I think, personally, that it's some one who sacrifices himself and puts aside his own problems to do what has to be done. Whether it's to save the world or just to take out the trash." The boy said as he looked at Harry. He slowly got up, then padded heavily back to the door where he paused to add as an after thought, "Oh, and this doesn't mean anything's changed. I still hate you. I just get annoyed at your behavior, and I don't want that insane asylum sending you back because they can't stand to have you around. That, and I would hate to think my fate is in the hands of some one who can't even get himself out of bed to take a shower." With that, the boy who lived was left once again to his own devices, sitting alone in shock on his bed in the dark. After a few long moments of silence, he got up and went to go take a shower, realizing that he did, in fact, smell quite bad. **

**As he was sitting at the dinner table some twenty minutes later, he realized that the Dursley's were treating him with the same cold treatment they always had. He was surprisingly grateful for this, because it seemed to be the only constantly thing in his life these days, aside from his friends of course. The fact that Dudley had reprimanded him finally sunk in and he was forced to realize that Dudley was right. **

**It was time to stop moping. He decided right there and then that once he was back at Grimmauld place he would be all business. He would work extra hard at Hogwarts with Ron and Hermione. So what if he had to be a murderer, or that he might die. He was the only one who could do it he had to try.**

**That night, as he cleaned his room and packed his things incase the order came unexpectedly, he began to plan for his next year at Hogwarts school of witch craft and wizardry. This year was NOT going to be easy…**


End file.
